MAY 2011 / issue 135 RFU THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE TOUCHLINE RFU AND RFUW ASKinG ENGlanD to ChooSE RUGBY Nick Bull THIS RUGBY WORLD CUP year will see a significant increase in public interest in our game and opportunities for clubs around the country to open their doors to players, spectators and potential volunteers. In order to support clubs in their local recruitment activities, Choose Rugby is being launched this summer. Replacing previous player recruitment campaigns such as Play and Play On, Choose Rugby is a long-term marketing campaign for rugby, which has been developed with the following in mind: • To be a call to action for our game for all participants • To be the identity for all recruitment and retention related programmes • To have longevity, launching this year and building towards our home world cup in 2015 Earlier this year, meetings were held between rugby clubs around the country and their respective Rugby Development Officers. During these meetings, over 200 clubs expressed an interest in introducing touch rugby as part of their overall proposition. These clubs will be provided with support and Choose Rugby marketing resources to launch touch programmes this summer. Resources to support local recruitment activities in the build up to and during this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand will then be made available in July. The RFU regional teams are currently in the process of contacting clubs and CBs in order to ensure that clubs around the country receive the appropriate levels of support to make the most of this Rugby World Cup Year in order to boost participation levels. For further information and updates about Choose Rugby, please visit www.rfu.com/chooserugby GPS reSultS reVeal elite Join the TWICKenhaM Beach PartY Laura Brown ruGBY perforMance SUN, SAND AND SEVENS will be the name of the game when Twickenham opens its gates to the world’s SecretS finest rugby talent for the Emirates Airline London Sevens on Simon Mills Saturday, May 21 and Sunday May 22, 2011. Last year’s superhero themed event saw almost 80,000 fans THE PRELIMINARY findings of a there over the two days and this year promises to be bigger pioneering study using Global Positioning and better for the beach-themed event. System (GPS) technology to investigate the During the Emirates Airline London Sevens there will be demands on players in elite rugby were over 12 hours of side-stepping, break-making, high-octane unveiled recently. Researchers from the rugby as the 16 international teams battle for honours University of Chester collected 304 sets in the penultimate leg of the www.rfu.com/TheGame/ of data from 54 Aviva Premiership Rugby Competitions/LondonSevens/IRBWorldSevensSeries.aspx” matches involving eight top flight clubs in HSBC Sevens World Series. Off the pitch cheerleaders, the season to March 27. crowd competitions, on the spot prizes, bands and big Bath Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins, screen entertainment will keep the tempo up and live music Leicester Tigers, London Irish, London around the stadium ensure you’re never far from the action. Wasps, Northampton Saints and Sale On both Saturday and Sunday, sevens fans will also get the Sharks players have worn GPS units chance to compete on the hallowed Twickenham turf in the to provide a range of information for ‘Sevens Surf Challenge’ - a beach-themed obstacle course a PhD study entitled ‘The Demands involving a water slide, a ball pit and a giant zorbing beach of Training and Playing in Elite Rugby ball to win a £250 cash prize! Union’ commissioned by the RFU on With a dedicated family stand, balloon artists and face painters, it’s a great day out for all, so dig out the recommendation of the Professional the flip-flops and sombreros and enjoy the London leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series in style. Great Game Board and part-sponsored by the value tickets are available now starting at just £15 for adults and £5 for U16s - plus £5 off when you English Institute of Sport. purchase 10 or more tickets. To book visit www.rfu.com/tickets. For beach fancy dress inspiration or to find out what other fans are up to, why not join the Continued on page 2… official Emirates Airline London Sevens facebook page: www.facebook.com/LondonSevens 1 HQ NEWS Continued from page 1… Youth ruGBY injurY rateS half The first results from the three-year study were highlighted by Dr Paul Worsfold, Senior Lecturer in Sports and Exercise Sciences, and PhD student Nicola Cahill at the Annual that of Senior profeSSionalS Professional Rugby Conference at Twickenham Stadium. Dave Barton They show significant differences between six positional groups* in terms of time on pitch, total distance covered, distance covered at low speed run and high speed run, THE RISK of suffering an injury in a youth rugby maximum speed and average speed. match is considerably lower than that recorded in • Average time on pitch ranges from 75.63mins for front row to senior elite rugby. 91.63mins for inside backs That’s a key finding in the ‘Report on injury risk in • Average distance covered ranges from 4.45km (front row) to English youth rugby’ – a two-season study (2006-07 6.84km (scrum half) & 2007-08) of almost 500 players aged 16 to 18 to • Average distance at Low Speed Run1 ranges from 3.15km (front determine the rate, severity, type and cause of injuries row) to 4.53km (scrum half) and which provides recommendations on how to • Average distance at High Speed Run2 ranges from 0.15km (front reduce the injury risk further. row) to 0.61km (outside backs) Researchers at the University of Bath, commissioned • Maximum speed for the positional groups varies from an average by the RFU in collaboration with the RFU Injured of 23.7kmh (front row) to 30.7kmh (outside backs) Players Foundation, discovered that while the incidence The top individual speed recorded in the 54 matches was of match injuries in the Premiership over the same 36.7kmh (22.8mph) and the greatest distance covered in one period was 87 per 1000 player hours, at the 12 English match was 8.2km (5 miles). Premiership Academies it fell to 44 per 1000 player Dr Worsfold said: “In the past five years, GPS technology hours and within the seven selected rugby schools it has had a significant impact on performance analysis in elite dropped to 35 per 1000 player hours. sport. We can now accurately evaluate the training loads RFU Community Rugby Medical Director Dr Mike England said: injuries; School = 47% of injuries) and joint ligament sprains the and activity profiles of players in competitive situations on “This is the first systematic study of injury at any level of youth most common type of injuries (Academy = 51% of injuries; School the field. The study focuses on the use of GPS in training rugby in England. We now have robust data which shows that, = 39% of injuries). and game performance to establish positional demands, to identify potential injury risk, and to monitor relationships among other things, the injury rates for young players in matches The tackle was the match event most commonly associated with between training, competition and fatigue. are half that of those playing within the senior elite game. match injury for both academy (51% of injuries) and school (58% “We will have collected over 450 sets of GPS match data “This study provides important information for youth rugby of injuries) youth rugby, which agrees with the findings of previous from players by the end of the season. The results of the study studies in senior elite rugby union. coaches, parents and players, and while it generally confirms the will enable individual players to gain information on the Contact-based training activities including attack, defence and view that the risk of injury while playing rugby at this level is physical demands of their specific positions during a match similar to other team contact sports, it provides practical guidance ruck/maul drills resulted in the greatest injury incidence of all situation, and allow them to compare their own performances on areas to focus on to reduce this risk.” training activities. with the averages across Aviva Premiership Rugby. An injury is defined in both of these studies as ‘any injury that Key areas for potential injury reduction: “The findings will help coaches, sport scientists and players prevents a player from taking a full part in all training activities typically Refining coaching practice to optimise player match and training gain an understanding of what elite rugby union players, in planned for that day and/or match play for more than 24 hours’. technique, and schedules from a safety perspective. different playing positions, do within a competitive season. Key findings Developing specific injury prevention (prehabilitation) training This will enable specific training and monitoring programs to be developed for each position to optimise performance Incidence of match injuries approximately half that reported in programmes designed to protect players from high risk injuries. and player safety.” senior elite club rugby union (Academy = 44/1000 player hours; Improving diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for common, Accelerometers in the 5Hz GPS units produce data School = 35/1000 player hours; Premiership = 87/1000 player high risk and recurrent injuries. relating to impacts and body loads on players which will be hours; RWC2007 = 84/1000 player hours). Stuart Potts, Chair of the RFU Schools and Youth Governance investigated in the next stage of the study. Pattern of match injuries (body location and type) similar to that Committee, said: “This valuable piece of work provides both *The six positional groups are: Front row, second row, back row, previously reported for senior elite rugby union, with the lower information and actions to determine and address the injury risk scrum half, inside backs and outside backs.